Thousands of species threatened by mining for clean energy

Jul 31. () –

A total of 4,642 species of vertebrates are threatened by mineral extraction around the world through mining, quarrying and oil and gas drilling.

Mining activity coincides with the world’s most valuable biodiversity hotspots, containing a hyperdiversity of species and unique habitats found nowhere else on Earth.

The greatest risk to species comes from mining materials critical to our clean energy transitionsuch as lithium and cobalt, both essential components of solar panels, wind turbines and electric cars.

The extraction of limestone, which is required in huge quantities for cement as a building material, is also endangering many species.

The threat to nature is not limited to the physical locations of mines: species living at great distances can also be affected, for example, by contaminated waterways or deforestation for new access roads and infrastructure.

Researchers say governments and the mining industry should focus on reducing mining-driven pollution as a “easy victory” to reduce the loss of biodiversity associated with mineral extraction.

This is the most comprehensive global assessment of the threat posed to biodiversity by mineral extraction ever undertaken. The results are published in the journal Current Biology.

THEY ARE EXTRACTED IN AREAS OF HIGH BIODIVERSITY

“We simply will not be able to provide the clean energy we need to reduce our climate impact “We’re not extracting the materials we need, and that creates a problem because we’re extracting in places that typically have very high levels of biodiversity,” he said. it’s a statement Professor David Edwards, from the Department of Plant Sciences and the Conservation Research Institute at the University of Cambridge, lead author of the report.

He added: “Many species, particularly fish, are at risk due to pollution caused by mining. It would be easy to work to reduce this freshwater pollution so that we can continue to get the products we need to transition to clean energy, but in a way that does not cause so much loss of biodiversity.”

Of all vertebrate species, fish are at particularly high risk from mining (2,053 species), followed by reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. The level of threat appears to be linked to where a particular species lives and its lifestyle: species that use freshwater habitats and species with small ranges are at particular risk.

“The need for limestone as a central component of construction activity also poses a real risk to wildlife. Many species have very restricted home ranges because they are specialised to live in limestone. A cement mine can literally wipe out an entire hillside, and with it the homes of these species.“said Ieuan Lamb of the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, first author of the report.

The bent-toed gecko, for example, is threatened by limestone mining in Malaysia: it exists only in a single mountain range that planned mining activity will completely destroy.

To obtain their results, the researchers used data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to see which vertebrate species are threatened by mining. By mapping the locations of these species, they were able to investigate the types of mining that put species at risk and see where the risks are particularly high.

Researchers found that species listed as “vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered” are more threatened by mineral extraction than species of least concern.

Waterways can be affected in many ways, and water pollution can affect hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of rivers and floodplains. Sand mining as a building material, for example, alters water flow patterns in rivers and wetlands, making birds such as the Indian Skimmer more accessible to predators.

Mineral extraction threatens populations of vertebrate species across the tropics, with hotspots in the Andes, the west and central coast of Africa, and Southeast Asia, which coincide with high mine densities. For example, small-scale artisanal alluvial gold mining in Ghana threatens important bird areas through environmental mercury pollution.

Global demand for metal minerals, fossil fuels and construction materials is growing dramatically, and the extraction industry is rapidly expanding to meet this demand. In 2022, revenue for the industry as a whole was estimated at US$943 billion.

Biodiversity underpins the protection of global carbon stocks, which help mitigate climate change.

The study focused only on vertebrate species, but the researchers say mining is likely to pose a substantial risk to plants and invertebrates as well.